Archive for February, 2011

Sunday will be a decent day here in Hampton Roads with temperatures slightly above normal and some sun. There will also be a lot of clouds around as moisture levels have increased in various levels of the atmosphere. On Monday, a frontal system will be approaching from the west. Out ahead of this system, southwesterly winds will cause temperatures to soar into the 70’s in most spots. A line of showers/thunderstorms is expected to develop out ahead of the cold front which is expected to move through our region late in the day or at night on Monday. I’m hoping that we receive some rainfall which is needed across parts of the area. Outside of well developed thunderstorms that may develop, heavy amounts of rainfall aren’t expected from this system. On Tuesday, temperatures cool back down to more seasonal levels and we should stay dry for a few days. Thanks for reading and have a great day.

The strong winds that plagued Hampton Roads on Friday are gone, but temperatures will be more winter-like today (Saturday) as a cold high pressure has moved into the region. Winds were very strong on Friday gusting to near 50 MPH in some spots. Rainfall wasn’t that impressive as my neighborhood only picked up a tenth of an inch. The winds were stronger to our north gusting to near 60 MPH in D.C. Winds will veer around from the northeast to the south on Saturday and this will cause temperatures to rise into the 60’s on Sunday with sunny skies. Monday may be very similar to this past Friday as another low pressure system will take a track similar to the storm system that moved to our north on Friday. Winds on Monday will be quite gusty and we’ll see if they will be as strong as they were on Friday. What about rain chances? Well, we expect some showers and even some thunder as the cold front approaches but rainfall amounts probably won’t be substantial for most of us here in Hampton Roads. As with the previous system, the further north you are, the more rain you will probably receive. This is a very typical pattern when there is a La Nina in the North Pacific Ocean. Historically, the Southeast doesn’t receive that much precipitation in late winter and early spring when there is a La Nina. Forecasters are expecting drought conditions to develop in many areas of the southeast as we move into spring. What bothers me is that just when precipiation is needed the most with the growing season set to begin soon, it stops raining which puts stress on the young trees and shrubs. We’ll see if those dire predictions of drought are accurate.

Next week marks the end of meteorological winter which will be very welcome for most folks. This means that the average temperature begins to climb at steady pace until we get to summer.

Thanks for reading and have a great day. I’ll have an update on Sunday.

As my headline stated on Sunday, it’s been a roller coaster ride in the temperature department. We were in the 70’s this past Friday. On Sunday we were back in the 40’s and low 50’s. Today (Monday), we may go back into the 70’s and then on Tuesday, we may not make it out of the low 40’s. A backdoor cold front will be moving through tonight dropping temperatures as the winds swing around to the N-NE. Forecasters don’t expect significant precipitation with this front here in Hampton Roads. There may be a shower though in some spots Tuesday morning. Temperature swings like this are fairly typical for this time of year as the clash of the air masses causes large storm systems to develop and move across the nation. From now through early spring, it is typical to see a large difference in temperatures across the nation. The storm track has been to our north so we are basically on the warmer and drier side of these systems. That is partially due to a persistent high pressure ridge over the Southeast. Winds will be a factor for fire fighters today but humidity levels will be a higher than they were on Saturday. so I don’t think conditions will be as bad. (Saturday was a brutal day for fire fighters as there were many brush fires reported). Another system later this week may bring some rain on Friday. We could use the moisture to help alleviate the dry conditions. That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Saturday was a busy day for many firefighters in Virginia due to brush/forest fires breaking out across the region. Strong winds combined with very low humidity levels/dew points caused ideal conditions for fires to spread quickly. And of course there is plenty of fuel in the form of dried vegetation. With the strong low pressure area moving slowly away to our northeast and high pressure building into the region, winds will slacken off today (Sunday), but the breeze will still be strong enough this morning to maintain another increased fire danger day here in Eastern VA. Temperatures will be much cooler than they were Saturday. But the cool weather won’t last very long. Warm air will be spreading back into our region ahead of another frontal system on Monday. Winds will be gusty again on Monday, but with temperatures near 70, you probably won’t mind that much. A cold front may bring a shower here on Tuesday morning, but forecasters are not predicting much rainfall from this system. We will cool back down towards mid-week and then another frontal system will be approaching later in the week hopefully bringing a better chance of rain.

Winter weather is making its return to the northern states as a snowstorm will be barrelling from the Mid-West into the Northeast. Meanwhile, the high pressure ridge in the Southeast will keep the South mild and dry.

Wasn’t Friday a treat, with temperatures in the 70’s with lots of sunshine? Well, as you know, winter is not over just yet and we will see a return to more seasonal weather on Sunday. A cold front moved through Hampton Roads overnight Friday night and behind it, strong winds will usher in cooler, drier air. These strong winds combined with very low dew points have prompted the NWS to issue Red Flag Warnings for a large part of Virginia and North Carolina for Saturday. Gale Warnings are in effect for our coastal waters.

From now through early April, windy days are quite common due to several factors. I have a weather fact that describes the reasons for this. Check it out.

Temperatures will still be mild on Saturday but the colder air will be more evident on Sunday as temperatures will be at or below seasonal norms. A frontal system will be approaching Sunday night and Monday producing a lot of cloudiness but precipitation is not likely until we get to Monday night and Tuesday. Forecasters aren’t expecting a lot of rainfall, but there will be a chance of a shower Tuesday morning. Another frontal system may impact our weather later next week. Thanks for reading and have a great day!